He was forced from power when soldiers led a March 2012 coup, pushing out the democratically elected leader just months before he was due to step down.

He was accused of having allowed corruption to spread like a cancer over the organs of state, especially the military, whose rank-and-file soldiers were left fighting al Qaida militants without proper equipment .

Government spokesman Mahamane Baby said late yesterday that Mr Toure will be investigated for "his participation in an exercise to demoralise the army by naming incompetent officers and soldiers, whose patriotism was questionable, to high-level posts to the detriment of others who were more meritorious".